Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Peter SchorschMay 18, 2015

If Republican U.S. Rep. Jeff Miller runs in 2016 for Marco Rubio‘s seat in the U.S. Senate, the political dominoes that are likely to fall will stretch from Florida’s border with Alabama to the Suwanee River. Odds of Miller running increased after he attended this past weekend’s quarterly meeting of the Republican Party of Florida, something that the […]

Ryan RayMay 18, 2015

Republican Sen. Wilton Simpson made his 2018 intentions official last week, filing paperwork Friday for a re-election bid in his rural central Florida Senate seat that takes in all or parts of Hernando, Pasco and Sumter counties. Simpson’s move to open a campaign account comes days after Marc Caputo of POLITICO reported that the Senate’s “Chicken Man” […]

Phil AmmannMay 16, 2015

Sen. Don Gaetz took to Pensacola talk radio to ridicule Gov. Rick Scott for his plan to have Florida hospitals share proceeds with other, less profitable health care facilities. In the first part of his interview with Rick Outzen on his “Pensacola Speaks” radio show, the Niceville Republican said: “When Governor Scott, who as you […]

Peter SchorschMay 14, 2015

The half-decade-long race to determine who will serve as president of the Florida Senate from 2016 to 2018 — either Jack Latvala or Joe Negron — has taken on all the difficulty of a Chinese finger puzzle after a series of recent developments designed to solve the matter have only made the issue more complicated. Most […]

Peter SchorschApril 23, 2015

A government accountability bill going before the Senate on Friday is vintage former Senate President Sen. Don Gaetz. SB 1372 is a common sense reform proposal that will ruffle a few privileged feathers in order to accomplish a good-government public policy goal: restricting taxpayer-funded “golden parachute” severance packages for hospital employees. But as the bill stands now, it […]

Christine Jordan SextonApril 23, 2015

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The Senate Appropriations Committee quickly moved a health care train Thursday with little-to-no debate. The underlying nursing bill became a “train” after the committee tagged on two House priorities: direct primary care and site selection for new veteran nursing homes or HBs 7047 and 7045, respectively. Both bills were developed by the House Health Innovation Subcommittee. […]

Mitch PerryApril 21, 2015

A week ago I spoke with someone close to David Jolly about the Pinellas County congressman taking time to consider a candidacy for the U.S. Senate in 2016. The still-newbie Republican U.S. Representative has a number of pros and cons to contemplate before making such a momentous career decision. The biggest downside is the real […]

Christine Jordan SextonApril 20, 2015

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A Senate committee tagged a controversial health care bill to a measure expanding the scope of practice for Florida’s nurses, a priority for the Florida House this year. The Senate Rules Committee on Monday committee agreed to tack on an amendment to CS/CS/SB 614 that would allow doctors to override step therapy protocols within 24 hours if a […]

Christine Jordan SextonApril 15, 2015

The Senate Ethics and Elections Committee voted 8-1 to approve Liz Dudek‘s appointment as head of the state Agency for Health Care Administration but only after she answered more than an hour’s worth of questions regarding Low Income Pool funding, Medicaid expansion and how negotiations are evolving with the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. […]

Ryan RayApril 15, 2015

A lengthy debate over a lobbying ethics reform bill ended with with former Senate President Don Gaetz moving to TP his own bill. The proposal — Gaetz’s SB 1372 — would tighten many restrictions on lobbying in Florida. Most notably, it would hold Gov. Rick Scott‘s brainchild — Enterprise Florida Inc., housed within another Scott innovation in […]

Tag: Don Gaetz

If Jeff Miller runs for Senate, North Florida dominoes will begin to fall

Wilton Simpson, future Senate president, files for 2018 re-election

Don Gaetz blasts Rick Scott’s hospital profit sharing plan, ‘Washington talk’

The race for Senate President has become a Chinese finger puzzle

With adverse hospital CEOs amendment, Senate accountability bill imperfect

Senate panel OKs nursing bill; it’s now a health care train

Mitch Perry Report for 4.21.15 — Senate in ’16 odds looking better for David Jolly?

Step therapy amendment added to latest health care train bill

Senate grills, then confirms, AHCA Secretary Liz Dudek

Lobbying ethics bill stumbles in Senate Rules